Thanks to the pandemic, you’ve probably missed a lot of newcomers on the Cleveland dining scene since the winter of 2019-2020, especially ones with patios perfect for warm-weather outings. Here’s what you may have missed as you emerge into the world as a vaccinated and safe patron.

Betts “Betts will offer something for everyone – at all times of the day,” according to a press release. The new eatery will be open for weekday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and weekend brunch. The menu will feature “elevated, health-conscious fare that caters to all diets, including vegan, gluten-free, keto, dairy-free and vegetarian.” Located on the ground floor of the gorgeously restored building at E. Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue, Betts will be under the watch of executive chef Rob Stauch, who is tasked with finding a balance between healthy and flavorful dishes. The streetside patio, which included igloos for the winter months, is perfect for downtown spring dining. Photo via Betts
Mojo World Eats 2196 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts., 216-932-0000 The food at Mojo is every bit as exciting as I remember. Built for mixing and matching, the menu features two dozen options (down from three-dozen pre-Covid) priced from $7 to $17. All the bases are covered in terms of vegetarian, seafood and meat based concoctions, most displaying the chef’s flair for weaving cross-cultural influences into a seamless finished product. And there is no better place to enjoy it all than on Mojo’s patio. Photo via Douglas Trattner
All Saints Public House, 1261 W.76th St., 216-999-7074 For decades – going all the way back to Snicker’s and continuing with Reddstone and Graffiti – this property has always been known for its spectacular and rambling patio. That patio also has received some much-needed attention in the form of new furniture, fixtures, lighting and landscaping. Photo via Douglas Trattner
Proof BBQ 4116 Lorain Ave. Proof opened in Tremont a month before Covid landed. It closed in December 2022, after owners Michael Griffin and Dave Ferrante announced that they had purchased the Nick’s Diner property in Ohio City. After a year and a half of work, the space bears little resemblance to its former occupant. The menu is largely the same, with burnt ends, smoked wings, fried green tomatoes and “Mile High Nachos” topped with pulled pork, cheese and salsa. Barbecue items like brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chicken thighs are smoked out back in a Southern Pride pit and served with a variety of sauces and sides. Those meats can also be enjoyed as tacos. Credit: Courtesy Photo
Sixth City Sailor’s Club, 668 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-938-7392 The business takes advantage of the wonderful courtyard patio that for years has served as a gathering space for downtown residents and workers. And the menu is there to match, with dynamite smash burgers, beachside seafood fare and Cleveland staples like a Polish boy, as well as more upscale entrees. Photo via Douglas Trattner
Lakewood Truck Park Located at the corner of Detroit and Edwards, the spacious lot is now officially home to a year-round courtyard coupled with an indoor bar, rotating food trucks and al fresco entertainment. The outdoor venue could not come at a better time for consumers, who desire to be outside as much as possible. Photo by Anisa Rrapaj
Avo Modern Mexican, 2058 W. 25th St., 216-331-6961 While Bakersfield had an occupancy permit allowing 145 guests, Zeller is setting the table for a few spots more than 80 to accommodate social distancing. When spring rolls back around and the patio is reborn, there will be room for another 30 or so on the other side of the garage doors. Zeller and Mesenburg, who also operate Char in Rocky River, Barra Tacos in Sandusky and Amherst, and Lago at Lakeside, a seasonal eatery in Marblehead, will be taking a creative approach to Latin cuisine. Zeller says that while he’s been cooking Mexican foods since he was old enough to press tortillas, Avo is inspired by trips to places like Dallas, where contemporary Mexican, Tex-Mex and Latin-fusion foods are elevated to fine-dining experiences. Photo by Doug Trattner
Chatty’s Pizzeria, 28611 Lake Rd., 440-471-4485 Matthew Harlan recently opened the doors of his casual Italian eatery in Bay Village. The longtime Michael Symon Restaurants chef and manager – “Chatty” to his mates – has reshaped the former Vento la Trattoria space within the Metroparks Huntington Reservation. The family-friendly bistro will feature two styles of pizza along with charcuterie boards, burrata salads, and meatball sandwiches. The food will be accompanied by a short but sweet beer, wine and cocktails list. All best enjoyed on the patio with beautiful views of the surrounding nature. Photo Courtesy Di DeRubba
The Last Page 100 Park Ave. Ste. 128, Orange Village In a blurry sea of fast-casual monotony, The Last Page is a welcome detour. It’s a modern-day supper club, for lack of a better descriptor, where there’s more to the plot than simply the food on the plates. Timed almost perfectly to coincide with the return not only of indoor dining, but all out celebrating and socializing and an awesome patio hidden behind trees at Pinecrest, the lively environment offers a delicious escape for those ready to exit isolation.
17 River, 17 River St., 440-893-0797 Starters include lobster bisque, biscuits and honey butter, and crispy fried shrimp and calamari. Salad choices feature tomato and burrata, a wedge and Cobb. There are a handful of sushi rolls and burgers, but also entrees like fish and chips, cedar-plank salmon, pan-roasted chicken and pork chop Milanese. For steak lovers, there are three chop choices: an 8-ounce filet, 20-ounce ribeye and steak frites starring grilled sirloin, french fries and Bearnaise. All available on the patio which boasts scenic views of Chagrin. Photo Courtesy Rick Doody
Home Bistro 12022 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland At twice the size of the Chi-Town original (plus a comfortable covered rear patio), Home has space enough for distanced dining. Attempting to label chef Morenz’s creative scratch cooking is a fool’s errand; his dishes careen from Basque-inspired tapas to Korean-spiced bulgogi. But that’s not to say that there’s no common denominator; across this broad spectrum of seemingly disparate dishes is a throughline of easy-going elegance. The food looks and feels like something a chef might make at home given a well-stocked fridge and pantry, in the best way possible
Hola Tacos 12102 Madison Ave., Lakewood Tacos are sold three to an order, come on corn tortillas, and include designated toppings plus a choice of salsas (chile de arbol, avocado sauce, queso crema). You can also mix and match tacos. Hola Tacos also serves tostadas and tortas, made with a choice of the taco fillings, a burrito stuffed with rice, beans and meat, and two large plates comprised of braised beef or slow-roasted pork with yellow rice, housemade refried beans and garnishes.
Platform’s The Lot, 4157 Lorain Born out of necessity and safety during the pandemic, The Lot from Platform on Lorain continues on as an urban beer garden replete with TVs and plenty of picnic tables and fun in Ohio City. Photo Courtesy Platform
Saucy Brew Works Vibe Garden 2885 Detroit Ave., Cleveland A big empty lot isn’t usually great, but during the pandemic, having one around the corner from your brewpub turned out to be a great thing. Saucy Brew Works transformed the plot into the Vibe Garden, with plenty of picnic tables and an upcoming schedule of volleyball and cornhole leagues. All food and drink is available to order from your table there, once it reopens this spring.
Garden City at Van Aken Garden City will be a year-round business, but it will really shine in warmer months because of the layout, which dedicates more square footage to outdoor spaces than interior. The open-air bar is 2,000 square feet versus 1,800 for inside, which is trimmed down further because of restrooms and other non-usable space. While cocktail focused, the club will feature a menu built around “approachable but solid American food.” Photo courtesy Dimit Architects
Voodoo Brewery, 2279 Lee Rd., 216-331-6775 Despite the brewery designation, Voodoo will not brew any beer, but rather dispense a full lineup of beers brewed in Meadville. On hand will be 18 different selections. A “crowler” can seamer and refrigerated retail section will let beer fans take the beer to go. Voodoo has a full liquor license and will sell barrel-aged cocktails like Manhattans, Moscow mules and mojitos. Also on offer is wine, mead and cider. A small but fully equipped kitchen will turn out pub snacks like pretzels and beer cheese, fried cheese, and poutine. Larger meals are built around salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and burgers.. Photo courtesy Voodoo Brewery FB
Kindred Spirit at Van Aken Brochu describes the cuisine as “West Coast energy with influence from the Mediterranean and around the globe.” Think fresh, healthy and flavorful, with a heavy focus on greens, grains, veggies, fish and a handful of meats. Implementing that menu on a day-to-day basis will be executive chef Dennis Davis, formerly of Lockkeepers.  For Schwartz and company, the comprehensive restaurant renovation was an opportunity not only to improve the space and ready it for a new purpose, but also to better marry it with Garden City, the cocktail-focused rooftop lounge above. Because Sawyer’s closed in March and Garden City opened in June, the two never co-existed. Now, management is looking forward to the type of cross-pollination that includes pre- and post-dinner cocktails. Chefs Brochu and Davis will create a bar-friendly menu pulled from the restaurant below.  In terms of numbers, Kindred Spirit will seat 105 indoors and another 35 out front. Garden City can accommodate approximately 100 throughout its stylish indoor-outdoor footprint.  Photo by Nolan Bousek
Citizen Pie Roman Cafe East 4th Street might still feel quiet compared to what it was like pre-pandemic and pre-closures but Citizen Pie Roman Cafe opened last year, serving dynamite Roman-style pie that is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, especially sitting on the patio out front, just like we all used to. Photo Courtesy Downtown Cleveland Alliance FB
El Carnicero Apart from a brief couple of weeks last fall, both Momocho and El Carnicero have been closed to dine-in customers, relying solely on carry-out business to see them through the pandemic. And that’s just what they’ve done, says chef and owner Eric Williams. “I am sincerely grateful and appreciative of the support from carry-out,” he says. “It kept both of these restaurants alive.” But now, the chef is ready to welcome diners back into both establishments. When they return, diners might notice new lighting, fresh paint and generously spaced tables in the dining rooms and patios. Behind the scenes, upgrades to HVAC and sanitation protocols also have been implemented. El Carnicero is still enjoying the use of its new sidewalk patio, which seats 24 guests with access to the full menu and bar. Photo by Karin McKenna
The Fat Tomato, Willoughby More than two decades after opening the pioneering seafood restaurant Lure Bistro, a mainstay in downtown Willoughby for years, Nick Kustala is back in the cockpit. In a wild turn of events, the chef has taken back possession of the property and opened The Fat Tomato (38040 Third St.) Throughout its 20-year run, Lure has routinely topped “Best Patio” lists, and the 125-seat courtyard is ideally positioned for social distance dining. Photo via Fat Tomato FB

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